


Start Again

by nadia5803



Series: liaisons by nadia [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:14:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23124586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nadia5803/pseuds/nadia5803
Summary: The unlucky presidential accountant is building his dream team. Or at least he’s trying.
Series: liaisons by nadia [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1631752
Comments: 1





	Start Again

“I want you back.”

Sofia placed her newspaper down and found herself staring at a baby-faced accountant she had one time known. She couldn’t remember how long she’d been employed at her new job, and even though she got accustomed to the monotony of it, she missed her time spent at the capital. Deep inside, she yearned for the political leeway and firsthand look into the inner workings of the government. Interesting, orchestrated, controlled - everything her job wasn’t.

Good thing she wasn’t at the capitol on Wednesday, though.

She frowned and studied him up and down. He looked even shorter than before, a little bit older, a bit thinner, deep bags smeared under his eyes and hidden behind a pair of fingerprinted glasses. Sofia gave it a brief thought, collected her newspaper again, and fluffed it back in front of her face. The accountant whimpered in frustration and she glanced at him.

“Not interested. At least not in working for you.”

Silence. He pushed up his eyeglasses and tapped his foot impatiently. Sofia could tell he wouldn’t leave without a fight, and she set her newspaper on the ground, propped her face in her hands, and stared down at him. If the math whiz was going to be president, then he better learn to use his words. “Why don’t you try and convince me, then?”

“... Well, I, umm... you were really good before you, uh, quit, and-“

“Wait. Wait. Stop,” Sofia raised a finger to silence him. “Firstly,” she said, rising from her place at her desk and walking around to face him. “First off. Filler words. Well, um, uhh... no. No. You can’t do that in a major speech, or a meeting in front of a hundred rabid politicians trying to hurt your feelings on purpose. Obviously, you have no parliament at the moment. But soon, you will, and they will want blood, little man.” Sofia crouched down at the knees, lowering herself to his height. She patted his arm and grinned. “Secondly. I didn’t quit. Um, what was your name again? Ah... Caslav?”

“Cvetko.”

“Caslav, I didn’t resign. I was let go. Svetlana Arsic let me go the morning after her presidency was confirmed. Look. I know the goings-on at the capitol. I... had friends there. Svetlana was quick and dirty with her security guards, let ‘em go just like that. You must have noticed. I was just the first one out of many.

His face flushed and Sofia rose up, stretching her arms behind her head and yawning. “I’m not willingly becoming a security detail to an accountant.”

“Actually, I was finance minister then.”

“I know,” Sofia’s voice filled with venom as she glared at him. She couldn’t help but be a little jealous of him. For so long, she prayed and hoped that a position, any position, in Svetlana’s cabinet would go to her. And of course, that never happened. Of course, she picked the accountant over her. Of course, all her work had been for nothing and she was once again left behind, alone, relenting and frustrated.

But Svetlana was gone now - everyone was gone now - and all that remained was the tiny man she often saw working away at books, the one who Svetlana affectionately entitled “the human calculator”. And here he was, worked to the bone, exhausted, dressed in a sweater and jeans and begging for Sofia’s return. She couldn’t help but feel a bit chuffed about the opportunity, but he would have to fight a bit harder. Sofia took a step back, and threw her reel.

“I’ve given you time to think, Cvetko. Can you give me a reason, any reason, why I should come back and work for you?”

“Ah, well-“ he caught himself for a second, and flashed a little grin up at her. “Sofia, I really liked you. Before I was even directly working for Svetlana I liked you. You were brilliant, policy-wise, and if I’m being true...” Cvetko trailed off, glancing over his shoulder as if someone had been listening in. “I think she always regretted her decision. None of those security details could replace you. And I tried to help her out a lot. Please, believe me when I say that, but-“ he shook his head and glanced up at the ceiling, dumbstruck. “God, I am bad at policy-making. Human calculator, right? I’m just the numbers guy.”

“President human calculator,” Sofia muttered, raising an eyebrow. “Rolls off the tongue. Cvetko, sweetheart,” Sofia crouched back down, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. “You’ll have to make a deal with me here.” He straightened up, trying to appear a slight taller, and nodded. “I know you want me to be your detail. You’re obviously quite scared, and, truthfully, I don’t blame you. I will be your security detail. I’ll do it. But. Don’t get too excited yet,” she stuck a finger in his face and gently nudged his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. “When you have your place settled, your parliament set, all your ducks in a row, you owe me a cabinet spot.”

He stepped back, turning around and looking up at the ceiling, taking a moment to consider as his eyes wandered. She watched and traced her foot across the tile floor. “And I know that Nielsen and Hunter have been sniffing around you too. Don’t you dare let them influence you on any of your choices, just to share some free advice,” she commented, letting out a yawn as he continued to work his human calculator brain. He weighed his options, his response, the consequences. The human calculator twirled around, dainty as a flower, and smiled up at Sofia. “Alright. I’ll do it.”

“Really now?”

“Yep. And I’ll stick to my promise as long as you help me. Foreign minister, I presume?”

Sofia felt exhilration rise in her chest, and she ws taken aback by the wave of excitement that had crashed down upon her at those words. She offered him a lopsided smile, and held out her hand.

“Your assumation is correct, Mr. President,” she replied as his tiny, bandaged hand grabbed hers. 

“... You’ll have to work on that handshake now, too,” Sofia muttered, unzipping her security blazer and throwing it on her chair.

“Shouldn’t you..?”

“They’ll notice I’m gone in a few days and send me my severance,” she yawned, letting her hair out of its bun and letting it fly free and curly. She grabbed her bag from beneath her seat and placed a firm, steady hand on his shoulder.

“Let’s go.”


End file.
